Mikel Arteta reported that Gabriel Jesus will be out for a few weeks ahead of Saturday’s visit of Sheffield United.
While it’s a blow to lose such an influential figure in our team, Gabriel’s omission does present opportunities for the likes of Eddie Nketiah, or perhaps Kai Havertz, to fill the number nine role.
“It’s what we want to avoid but with the schedule that we have and the amount of games that we have, it’s something that we knew was going to happen,” Mikel admitted in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“It’s happening to every club in the Premier League so there’s no difference.
“There is depth, obviously it will depend on the injuries that we pick up and and where we have that depth because having injuries in certain lines is going to affect you in a way where you don't have the right replacement.
“So far we are coping with it and everybody feels really connected and everybody feels that they have a chance and that's a really positive thing to have in the squad.”
Mikel still has a selection dilemma when it comes to who will play the number nine role in Gabriel’s absence. Here’s what he had to say on considerations for Eddie Nketiah and Kai Havertz…
“What you see where [Eddie’s] coming from and what he’s done the last three or four years, at a club like Arsenal, to play as a nine, he’s made some huge strides, and it’s merit to him and his mentality.
“For Kai, the minutes that he’s played, he’s been really good. It’s good and it’s difficult for the opponent as well to figure out who will play, and I think that’s a positive for us.”
Click here to read everything Mikel had to say in his pre-match press conference.
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